Hangers for plant baskets are well known. A conventional basket hanger includes an upper hook, from which a plurality of strands (typically three or four) extend downwardly. The distal ends of the strands are configured to attach to the flange of a plastic basket. The strands of conventional hangers are comprised of either mild steel wire which are welded or otherwise secured to the upper hook or, alternatively, the strands and hook are molded entirely from plastic.
Steel wire hangers offer the advantage of strength and are typically considered more aesthetically appealing than plastic hangers, but if the mild steel wire strands become bent during shipping or use, the bent wire strands will detract from the smooth, clean lines typically desired for hanging baskets. Accordingly, finished hanging basket products with mild steel wire hangers are more costly to package and ship because the mild steel wire hangers cannot be bent over for shipping in a box or shipping cage without detracting from their appearance, thereby requiring longer packages or shipping cages, even if the wire hangers are detached from the hanging baskets. Additionally, to attach a mild steel wire hanger to a hanging basket, a worker or purchaser will typically have to insert the end of the mild steel wire strands through holes in the basket flange and then bend and either twist or squeeze the end of the wire by hand to secure it to the basket. Depending on the diameter of the mild steel wire strand, in order to properly secure the hanger to the basket, a pliers or tool may be required. With or without tools, but especially without tools, if a worker's job duty is to attach conventional mild steel wire strand hangers to hanging baskets throughout the day, repeating this task several times a day can cause considerable pain and injury to the hands of a worker. Additionally, if a conventional mild steel wire strand hanger is not properly secured, the bend created at the bottom of the mild steel wire strand will open up and the hanger will detach from the basket even under normal conditions, let alone under high wind conditions when the basket is twisting and swaying.
Plastic hangers offer the advantage of allowing the hangers to be coiled or bent to fit into shorter packages when shipping the hanging basket, but plastic stranded hangers are necessarily larger in diameter than steel wire strand hangers to achieve the same tensile strength and therefore plastic strands are typically considered less aesthetically appealing. Furthermore, plastic strands and conventional mild steel wire strands are more susceptible to breaking in high wind conditions which can cause a hanging plant to twist and swing.
Accordingly, there is a need for a basket hanger which offers the advantages of a hanger with steel wire strands but which provides the advantages of allowing the hanger to be coiled or bent like a plastic hanger, but which will hold up to twisting and swaying in high wind conditions common in many areas. There is also a need for an improved manner of attaching the hanger to the basket which is more quickly and efficiently attached and does not require the use of a pliers or other tools.